News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-04-14
THE EMPTY COTTAGE.
mo. 4 ,S27," and how He was Waited
For.
From the Detroit Free Press.l

One day as passed the little old cot
age l found it empty. When one has
taken certain route to and fro day
after day for years, he gets to know even
the trees and hitching posts, and he car
close his eyes and recall every broken
plank in the sidewalk-every gate OF
doorstep. He gets to know the houses,
if not the people in them, and some day
when he discovers that a family has
moved out it somehow seems as if he
had been slighted in not having been
warned that such q step was in cOntem-
| plation.
I felt hurt when I discovered that the
! little old cottage was empty. [ had not
known the family, but each morning ON
! going down [ counted on seeing two
! childish faces at tle~window. anCA as |
came up at night looked through the
uncurtained window and saw house
wife busy with her evening meal, and
| children romping about. It vexed me
to think there had been an innovation
a break in my daily panorama, and in
my petulance 1 took another route for q
week. Then, one morning as my feet
instinctively carried me over the same
old path, found the cottage occupied
again. This vexed me anew. What
right had new family to move into the
neighborhood without notifying me?
How did they know whether it would be
agreeable to me or not? Did they care?
Was it sort of def, or case of care
lessness?
thought it all over as I went down
town, and / determined to snub the
children, if there were any, and to pass
the place as stiffiy as if was not aware
of its existence. At night, however, as
1 came up, [ caught sight of the sweet,
sad face of an old woman-some ones
grandma. She was gray-haired and
wrinkled and trembly, and she lived
there all alone. [ forgave her at once,
and thereafter, day in and day out, until
the days made weeks and the weeks
made months, I took the little old house
back into my favor and watched for her
face. By and by it became one of the
objects in my panorama. Had 1 missed
it for a day / should have been nettled
and put out and could not have slept at
night. It was such a motherly face!
And the eyes ever seemed to be looking
far into the future, and they had such
look of watching and waiting that [ felt
to pity her. Was some one coming2
Was son or daughter expected-not to-
day nor tomorrow nor next week, but
bye-and-bye? Had husband and chill
dren died-all children save one, and
this q hayward boy who was being
tossed on the pillows of life in some far
off city, but had promised to return to
mother-some time?
I wondered and wondered, but there
was none to tell me. She became
part of my daily life, but one morning
as passed the cottage there was Grape
on the door. My heart chilled and [
stood still. It had been years since any
house ON my route bore the emblem of
mourning. Was it the poor old woman?
If so, why had not some one told me she
was ill2 Was it just right to cut n fig
urea human painting-out of my pan
Drama without moments notice?
Maybe you knew her, sir?" queried
a woman WHO eano to the door, with
tears in her eyes.
''Yes-nO."
''She was a dear, good grandma, and
she went very sudden.
''For whom did she watch and waltz"
owe cannot tell. We found the open
Bible by her bed, and the pallor of
death could not drive away the smile
which came to her face as the gates of
Heaven opened. p"
And one day, a month later, Icame up
at night to find the cottage gone-torn
down and carted off by the ruthless
hand of men who loved innovation. 1t
was hardly another month before walk
ed the path leading to the paupers' field.
There / found a stake bearing a number
nothing more. There was no sodded-
grave-no heaped up earth-no stone or
board with its loving epitaph. Death
and man had swept from my route the
pleasantest of it's memories, and [ took
another way.